Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012-2015

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

This sounds like there was some sort of plunger-like force created in the sinkhole during the recent 'burp.'

http://theadvocate.com/home/4538683-...n-hydrocarbons

Assumption sinkhole ?burps? vegetation, hydrocarbons
david j. mitchell
River Parishes bureau
November 28, 2012
[snip]
Cranch said the mix of debris, dirt and emulsified oil that surfaced and broke apart Tuesday appeared to have originated from the sinkhole?s bottom.

?The point being, it?s not a belch of just crude oil,? Cranch said.

Boudreaux said before the sinkhole disgorged the material, the water level dropped by about 6 inches and then returned to its original level. The size of the water level change was based on measurements of hydrocarbon rings left on trees...

http://assumptionla.wordpress.com/20...-field-update/

8:25 p.m. Bayou Corne Field Update
November 27, 2012
[snip]
Sinkhole Site ?
Settling/shifting of material underlying sinkhole created disturbance of water in sinkhole in morning roughly coinciding with USGS report of observance of seismic activity ? crude oil emulsion and woody debris from sinkhole bottom observed rising to surface, water from nearby swamp seen flowing into sinkhole. Surface activity observed for several minutes before water calmed again.

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

http://assumptionla.wordpress.com/20...inkhole-event/

2:55 p.m. Sinkhole Event
November 27, 2012 //

An event occurred at the sinkhole around 11:30 pm today which is being considered as a ?burp?. Vegetative debris and hydrocarbons came up from below the sinkhole. A few trees in the southwest corner did fall in however most of the debris came from below the sinkhole. Texas Brine removed all crews from the sinkhole and is checking the boom surrounding the area to make sure everything is in tact...

Video showing aftermath:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-N1P8dSCMM
Screen capture:


This might be the event that the increased seismic activity heralded, particularly the long period tremors. I'm glad no workers were injured. Volcano scientists learned the hard way that long period tremors can be a warning of pressure building underground.

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Here is the most recent update from Assumption Parish:

Status of Hydrogen Sulfide in Bayou Corne Area

Prepared by Gary R. Hecox, Ph.D., Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc.

Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc. (Shaw) has reviewed existing data and is currently collecting new data to evaluate the conditions related to the hydrogen sulfide observed in the Texas Brine Relief Well #2 completed in the cap rock. At all times, protection of local residents and project staff is and will remain the top priority when making decisions and recommendations for response activities related to site conditions.

Currently there are five vent wells completed in the alluvial aquifer and one, Relief Well #2, completed in the cap rock. Four of the vent wells have positive wellhead pressure indicating gas accumulation; the fifth well has no wellhead pressure.

Acting out of an abundance of caution to the potentially changing conditions when notified about the detection of hydrogen sulfide gas on Tuesday November 20, 2012, Shaw shut down flaring operations on the two ORW vent wells currently being flared. This was done to allow for collection of quantitative hydrogen sulfide data and develop the appropriate plan and monitoring measures to safely go forward with flaring operations. ORW-2 has since resumed flaring and Texas Brine Relief Well #1 remained flaring. Flaring operations are being monitored for hydrogen sulfide by the local ambient air monitors and site personnel.

DNR and Shaw have discussed with Texas Brine what occurred at the Relief Well #2. The geophysical log on Relief Well #2 showed gas accumulation from 142 to 150 feet in the alluvial aquifer immediately below the base of the overlying clay and from 424 to 432 feet in the cap rock on top of the salt of the Napoleonville dome. On November 15, 2012 this well was perforated in the cap rock at depths of 424 to 427 feet and 455 to 457 feet. The gas accumulation zone in the alluvial aquifer was not perforated. On Monday November 19, 2012, Texas Brine set up the flare on this well and started flaring gas from the cap rock. Venting and flaring continued until late in the day when water started to be produced from the well. Texas Brine set up a gas/water separator and restarted flaring operations. After a very short period of flaring, site personnel noticed hydrogen sulfide odors from the water being discharged from the separator. At this time, one of the AreaRae monitors was used to check for hydrogen sulfide gas. When hydrogen sulfide was confirmed, Texas Brine stopped flaring operations, shut-in and locked the wells, and set a safety perimeter. The well currently remains shut-in and locked.

Shaw has checked the ORW vent wells for hydrogen sulfide. In the two wells being flared, no detectable hydrogen sulfide concentrations were measured in the gas. Low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, consistent with a swamp environment, were measured in the two ORW wells that have not been flared. Shaw is checked all 18 of the shallow Geoprobe wells for hydrogen sulfide. All of these shallow wells were nondetect for hydrogen sulfide.

At this point in time, it appears that the hydrogen sulfide produced by Relief Well #2 was only from the cap rock and not the alluvial aquifer vent wells. While low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide have been detected at some of the bubble sites, the concentrations are well below those that would pose a human health risk. Other than Relief Well #2, all hydrogen sulfide concentrations measured are consistent with the production of hydrogen sulfide caused by decay of trees and other vegetation in a swamp environment.

********************

Here is a link to the letter from Commissioner of Conservation Jim Welsh to Texas Brine LLC on the steps taken in response to the detection of hydrogen sulfide in the company?s second vent well and instructions for further action.

*********************

This is the latest statement on the recent seismic activity

Analysis from Itasca Group on recent seismic monitoring that can be posted to Assumption blog to give information to public on latest evaluation ?

Dr. Will Pettitt, Principal Geophysicist at Itasca Consulting Group, has reviewed the seismic data recorded overnight on November 20/21. Long-period seismic tremors and micro-earthquakes have been observed, similar to those defined previously by Dr. Steve Horton of CERI/USGS, and recorded mainly on station LA08 closest to the sinkhole. The long-period seismic tremors are postulated to be caused by gas and/or fluid movements through the rock collapse zone below the sinkhole on the edge of the salt dome. Micro-earthquakes of this nature are typically associated with small-scale rock movements, and again are believed to be occurring in the collapse zone. The source of both of these event types continues to be investigated by experts.

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

http://www.wbrz.com/news/officials-m...near-sinkhole/

Officials monitoring for more hydrogen sulfide near sinkhole

Posted: Nov 21, 2012 6:26 PM by Adrian Pittman
Updated: Nov 21, 2012 6:26 PM
Officials monitoring for more hydrogen sulfide near sinkhole
BAYOU CORNE - The fear and anxiety intensifies near Bayou Corne after a poisonous and flammable gas was found in a relief well...
<iframe src="http://www.wbrz.com/videoplayer/?video_id=13640&categories=58&player_width=584&pla yer_height=328&has_playlist=false&total_playlist_i tems=1&items_per_page=1&will_stretch_videos=false& has_autoplay=false&auto_hide=always&show_info=true &show_companions=true&live=false&iframe=true" style="width:584px;height:357px;border:none;overfl ow:hidden;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
""We are tired of Texas Brine determining what's relevant, what is not relevant, what's dangerous and what's not dangerous, and give us information when they feel it's appropriate." says Assumption Parish President, Marty Triche."

http://www.fox44.com/news/bayou-corn...oxic-gas-found

Bayou Corne community outraged with lack of warning of toxic gas found
Kris Cusanza Reporter
Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 5:33pm

BAYOU CORNE,LA (FOX44) ? Assumption Parish emergency officials are outraged after they say Texas Brine failed to tell them that toxic gas was found near the sinkhole. Officials say it took Texas Brine almost 24 hours before the company told them about the discovery.
[snip]
Emergency officials say Texas Brine did not do its job to warn officials.

"It should not occur," John Boudreaux, Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Prepardness, said. "It should be immediate notification of something this serious to all these agencies. They have a legal responsibility to do something. It's in state law to make an immediate notification when you are dealing with an extremely hazardous substance."...

There's another video with interviews with residents at the FOX link.

Maybe the state should set up 24 hr monitoring for H2S if Texas Brine is not going to alert them to releases.

http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/servle...ew?id=00071439

Publisher Society of Petroleum Engineers Language English
Document ID 71439-MS DOI More information 10.2118/71439-MS
Content Type Conference Paper
Title Health, Safety and Environment Impact Assessment for Onshore Sour Gas Wells
Authors C. Rezaei, M.M.K. Al Mehairy, A. Al Marzooqi, ADCO
Source

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 30 September-3 October 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana
ISBN 978-1-55563-154-3
Copyright 2001. Society of Petroleum Engineers
Preview

Abstract

It is recognised that the drilling of high sour gas wells entails higher risk to workers, more complex drilling procedures and potentially higher concequences should a well failure occur. The sour gas well studied is known to contain 36% vol/vol of H2S which in the event of a blowout could have a significant impact. Concentrations capable of causing health difficulties could occur over 30 kms from the wellsite. Sour wells with high H 2S release potential or those near dwellings require site specific emergency response plans. In case of a significant release of H2S, the health & safety of the public will be protected either by their evacuation or ignition of the well. At night, with stable conditions, the dispersion distances may be increased by a factor of 10.
[snip]
HSE Impact Assessment

Hydrogen Sulphide

Hydrogen sulphide (H 2S) is a highly toxic, colorless, flammable gas. The major hazard of H2S is its ability to cause sudden death due to accidental exposure.

Threshold Limit Value - Short Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL) of H2S is 15 ppm (21 mg/m3) for 15 minutes. This is the concentration to which workers can be exposed continuously for a short period of time without suffering from irritation, chronic or irreversible tissue damage or accidental injury.

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Assumption Parish update:
http://assumptionla.wordpress.com/

November 20, 2012
Texas Brine has reported high levels of H2S from their sonic vent well that is drilled into the cap rock. The well was shut in due to these levels. DNR?s contractor, The Shaw Group, is currently investigating. We are currently waiting on additional details from DNR.

Please be advised that H2S is an extremely dangerous gas. Unlike methane, it is heavier than air and collects at low to the ground levels. No community air monitors have detected H2S. Monitoring will continue as usual.

Additional Information:
Office of Conservation-
Texas Brine?s second vent well (drilled and perforated near the top of the Napoleonville Salt Dome cap rock, much deeper than the shallower aquifer vent wells constructed in the area), encountered hydrogen sulfide gas as venting operations were initiated. Air monitoring detected the hydrogen sulfide gas during venting/flaring operations, and Texas Brine shut the well in to prevent any potential for release. The Office of Conservation concurred with that action to ensure safety of the public and workers on the site. Texas Brine has also established a safety perimeter around the well, including use of barricades and gas monitors, under the oversight of Conservation staff on site. Hydrogen sulfide does sometimes occur naturally in the cap rock of salt domes, and while the cap rock of the Napoleonville Salt Dome does underlie the Texas Brine facility, it does not extend to the Bayou Corne community. Additionally, ongoing daily environmental safety testing in the Bayou Corne community by DEQ has included tests for hydrogen sulfide, and it has not been detected in the community to date. Additionally, DEQ took an extra round of samples today and will continue to monitor the community. The Office of Conservation will be meeting with Texas Brine representatives to further assess the next steps to be taken with the well.

*******************

And a corresponding story from the Advocate:

Hydrogen sulfide gas found in sinkhole-area vent well
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL

River Parish bureau
November 21, 2012
...
Cranch said workers had completed hooking up flaring equipment to the vent well in question earlier Monday and had only recently begun burning off methane when the hydrogen sulfide was found.

He said the gas was released from equipment that separates impurities from methane coming out of the well before it reaches the flare.

The separator releases what it collects every two minutes, Cranch said.

?When they smelled that from the separator, they shut it down,? Cranch said.
...
Patrick Courreges, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, said officials believe any risk of hydrogen sulfide coming from the other five vent wells ? three of which are flaring methane continuously ? is very low because they are shallower compared to the other well.
..

http://theadvocate.com/home/4485248-125/poisonous-hydrogen-sulfide-gas-found

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

In the latest Assumption Parish update dated Nov 16, there was the following comment:

Following recent reports of seismic activity on the western side of the Napoleonville Salt Dome, the Office of Conservation asked Dr. Stephen Horton, Research Scientist CERI, with University of Memphis. Dr, Horton said :
?Small tremors were observed on 11, 12, and 15 November. The preliminary location of the 12 November event is just east of Oxy # 3 with an estimated depth around 400 m (~1300ft) although the uncertainty in the depth estimate is large. This is the same general area where events were observed in July and August. The concern level remains relatively low because of the modest seismicity rate with events occurring in the same general source area. Very long period (VLP) signals continue to occur within the local seismic network. These VLP signals have been prominent on helicorder displays during the last week. We are still investigating the cause of the VLP signals.

Looking at the helicorders this morning, there was a reading at about 10 p.m. last night that I haven't seen since I've been watching. Notice down toward the bottom, the red and green bands of activity. None of the other helicorders picked up on that. I wish we had seismologist who could explain some of these readings.




This is from Nov 15; I wonder if the bands in the upper half are the VLP signals they are talking about.




I drew a red line at the approximate depth where that activity, as well as the Oct 23 event @ 1600 ft., occurred.

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Here is a list of graphs and charts from the presentation in case we want to find them again:

Vent well locations
Shallow geology (showing layers of clay, sand, etc)
Data locations
Geoprobes
Shallow gas area
a) monitoring locations
b) base of clay elevation
Conceptual shallow gas model
Potential gas migration into homes
Estimated area of maximum subsidence
Sinkhole changes over time
Sinkhole cross-sections
Conceptual model of cavern
Top of salt and overhang (includes data from 2001)
Pre-collapse 3-D Model of Big Hum, dome, cavern, sinkhole
Cavern fluid recovery
Cavern gas flared
Cavern fluid recovery slowing
Cavern pressure data lower
Cavern fill-in rate

I think these are good for future referencing









The residents really had a lot of concerns at the briefing; mostly about the monitoring of gas and health issues. And, of course, when they will be able to go home again.

When asked about the time-frame for folks to be able to go back home, Dr. Hecox, with the Shaw Group, said it would not be "weeks" but other than that, he wouldn't speculate. He has said a number of times that will will be a long term situation.

He also couldn't explain from a gas-flow geology why the gas bubbling was occurring in the area NE of Grand Bayou. That gas has the same fingerprint as the other gas, so he assumed it was from the same source and it may very well be following the path of least resistance.

It's being strongly urged that the homes that are built on slabs should have 24 hour/365 days monitoring.

They have brought the internationally-recognized group, Itasca, to try to get some answers to the unknowns. The void along the salt dome is a concern due to the possibility of gas accumulating in those pockets and that will be just one of the issues Itasca will be addressing.

Hecox talked about the pressure in the cavern going down. It stayed at 270 for a long time and then dropped to 180 (and holding). They don't know why but speculate that the filling of the cavern has slowed and is not putting so much pressure on the brine. There is about 600' left of the cavern to fill in.

The residents requested that a toxicologist be present at the next meeting to discuss the long-term effects of breathing the bad air. They would also like "long-term" to be better defined.

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

KLFY has a 3-part video series from early this month about the Bayou Corne disaster here:

http://www.klfy.com/story/19990672/assumption-sinkhole

The 3rd part has an interview with 2 internationally known earth scientists at University of Louisiana/Lafayette that basically confirms the unprecedented nature of what has happened and the uncertainties involved.

The Shaw group made another presentation to the public on 11/13:

http://www.edsuite.com/proposals/pro...ion_fi_523.pdf

One of the topics covered is the ongoing flaring of accumulated gas:

Vent Well Data
•Flowing at 15-30 Thousand Ft3/Day
•Formation pressures
–Between 50 & 90 psi
–Slightly greater than water pressure at these depths and less than rock/soil pressure (frac pressure)
•Total column of gas in aquifer between 5 and 30 feet (at ORW-04, 95-128’)

Also their slides indicate that the central sinkhole bubbling remains choked off and the ramifications of that are unknown:

Sinkhole Status
•Area of sinkhole—8 acres as of first November
•Gradual subsidence noted outside of sinkhole to the west
•Large bubble plume has disappeared
–May indicate gas is being depleted
–May indicate gas is accumulating in collapse zone

One hopeful impression I got is that the cavern may be reaching stability. On the other hand, the issue of flow from the deeper strata via the frac-out channel caused by the cavern collapse is still a major concern:

Ultimate Resolution of Methane Gas Problem
•Unprecedented problem
–Complexity
–Scope
•Vent well effectiveness being assessed
•Large area of gas accumulation
•Ongoing evaluations of viable options including reservoir size and geology
•Intercept Big Hum gas—very difficult
–200+ foot interval with multiple production horizons
–Very difficult to determine gas production horizons
–Other horizons may be flowing into collapse zone

Much more information at the link, including maps and graphics.

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Updates from the parish blog

We have been informed by Entergy that due to required repairs on their Napoleonville substation, they have scheduled a planned electricity outage tonight at Midnight. The outage is scheduled to last 2-3 hours.

The affected areas include:
Highway 1, from Assumption Parish Waterworks to Paincourtville (including Highway 401 ?Canal Road?)
Highway 308, from the Napoleonville Bridge (@ traffic signal) to Plattenville.

We encourage you to spread the word to friends and neighbors.

******************

The Nov 14 resident briefing videos (12 of them) have been posted at YouTube, as well as 2 flyover videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/assumptionla?feature=mhee

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

11:50 a.m. Update
November 12, 2012
Observation Well #2 has been re-perforated and there is pressure present. A flare stack will be installed and we will update accordingly.

Also, we?ve been informed that 3 trees that were standing where the last slough in occurred, have fallen into the sinkhole.

********************
News Release

Office of Conservation Orders Texas Brine to Take Further Steps to Protect Public Safety
For Immediate Release
Monday, Nov. 12, 2012
Contact: Phyllis Darensbourg, 225.342.0058

Office of Conservation Orders Texas Brine to Take Further Steps to Protect Public Safety
Directive specifies network of observation/vent wells, monitoring wells, subsidence benchmarks and home monitoring

BATON ROUGE ? Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation James Welsh today ordered Texas Brine LLC to install a network of observation/vent wells, pressure monitoring wells and elevation benchmarks for subsidence monitoring in the Bayou Corne area to ensure the public?s safety. The commissioner also ordered the company to assume responsibility for operating the observation/vent wells already installed by the Office of Conservation?s contracted agent, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, and to provide containment around the sinkhole area to prevent any release of oil into nearby waterways.

The new orders under the existing Declaration of Emergency and Directive also specifically require Texas Brine to install in-home monitors to detect possible natural gas accumulations and to upgrade home ventilation for all slab-foundation buildings within the Bayou Corne evacuation area established by Assumption Parish. These additional orders are needed because of the potential for methane accumulation connected to the failure of Texas Brine?s nearby brine mining cavern.

Though Texas Brine is being ordered to assume responsibility for operating and installing the networks of wells and monitoring equipment, Welsh said, the actions taken must meet the specifications and requirements of the Office of Conservation?s oversight of the response to the sinkhole and ongoing presence of natural gas in and above the aquifer. These events are connected to the failure of Texas Brine?s abandoned brine cavern on the western side of the Napoleonville Salt Dome.

Welsh said the additional requirements are based on analysis by the Office of Conservation and expert consultants with the Office?s contracted agent, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, of underground conditions in the area above the top of the ground water aquifer, where natural gas pressure has been detected. Though past monitoring of slab-based structures in the area have shown no accumulation of natural gas in homes, Welsh said that all necessary steps must be taken to detect, minimize or prevent any such accumulation from occurring.

?The steps outlined in this directive will give us an added layer of protection in ensuring public safety and move the response effort closer to bringing the lives of the residents of the Bayou Corne area back to normal,? Welsh said. ?They are designed to provide three lines of defense ? ongoing removal of natural gas from the aquifer and underground in and around the community; use of ventilation as a preventative measure against potential natural gas accumulation in homes; and because we cannot take public safety for granted, constant monitoring for any possible natural gas accumulation in those structures.?

Welsh noted that his order will not alter the ongoing cooperative effort between the Office of Conservation and the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to run an additional round of in-home testing for methane accumulation in slab-built structures in the area to determine current conditions.

http://assumptionla.wordpress.com/

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Even though DNR thinks this well is too far from the sinkhole to affect it, evacuees are worried since that blowout happened just a couple of years ago and some evacuees from Bayou Corne are currently living near the new well site.

http://theadvocate.com/home/4388957-...till-producing

Facilities around sinkhole allowed to continue operations

By David J. Mitchell
River Parishes bureau
November 12, 2012
0 Comments

BRULE ST. MARTIN ? Five miles as the crow flies from the Bayou Corne-area sinkhole near La. 1000, Petrodome Operating LLC is drilling for oil deep underground.

Petrodome is backed by an Australian company, Grand Gulf Energy Ltd., that has a trove of proprietary seismic data allowing the company and its partners to plumb strata a few miles off the Napoleonville Dome for oil and gas finds others have not tapped, company news releases and well records show...

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Just a few of the recent updates:

From Texas Brine
November 7, 2012
The Observation Well was opened this morning for several hours during
which 68 barrels of liquid hydrocarbon were removed from brine cavern #3.

Flaring of natural gas from the shallow aquifer relief well continues on a 24-hour basis. Between 12:00 noon on Monday and 7:00 a.m. this morning, slightly more than 70,000 cubic feet of natural gas has been vented from the well and safely flared at the surface.

November 8, 2012
As of 8:00 a.m. today, just over 100,000 cubic feet of natural gas
has been vented from aquifer and safely flared at the surface.

November 9, 2012
1. The Observation Well was opened this morning for two hours during which approximately 60 barrels (or 2,520 gallons) of liquid hydrocarbon were displaced from cavern #3 to the surface.

Results from yesterday?s measurement of the total depth of the cavern revealed that the cavern floor has risen another four feet since last measured on November 1. The next total depth measurement will occur next Thursday, November 15.

2. Only a small amount of hydrocarbon remains to be removed from the surface of the sinkhole. The surface will be carefully monitored to see if any additional oily material accumulates. Skimming of the small amount of liquid hydrocarbon material observed in the tree-filled swampy area bordering the sinkhole continued today.

3. Between 8:00 a.m. yesterday and 8:00 a.m. this morning, another 34,000 cubic feet of natural gas was vented from the shallow aquifer relief well and safely flared at the surface. The venting and flaring continues 24 hours a day.

**************

The latest Assumption Parish Summary had a few changes/additions:
As of Nov 8:
* Parish Emergency Declared ? 19 June 2012...Extended 30 days on 9 November, 2012
* Texas Brine Collected a total of 4332.6 bbls(cumulative total as of 8 November 2012) of hydrocarbons from the Oxy 3A Cavern and flared a total of 544 mcf of metered gas(cumulative total as of 8 November 2012)
* Air Monitoring Sample Data
?1 letter (dated 10/18/2012) was released to the parish during this operational period for community ambient air and air at bubble sites sampled 9/28/2012-10/14/2012 (MultiRAE). Findings-It does not appear that chemical exposure of site-related contaminants poses a public health risk to individuals in the immediate area of Bayou Corne for the time period and chemicals sampled.
?1 letter (dated 10/18/2012) was released to the parish during this operational period for residential ambient air sampled 9/28/2012-10/13/2012 (MultiRAE); Findings-It does not appear that chemical exposure of site-related contaminants poses a public health risk to individuals in the immediate area of Bayou Corne for the time period and chemicals sampled.
?1 letter (dated 10/18/2012) was released to the parish during this operational period for air samples collected 9/26/2012 and 10/2/2012 (isotopic analysis); Findings-This data is meant to characterize the gas in the bubbles and wells sampled. These type of analyses do not provide data that could be used for assessing public health.
* Industrial Water Well Sampling Data
?1 letter (dated 10/18/2012) was released to the parish during this operational period for industrial wells sampled on 9/26/2012. Findings-DHH recommends immediate remediation of industrial water wells with high levels of methane.
* Safe Drinking Water
?1 letter (dated 10/18/2012) was released to the parish during this operational period for two privately-owned water wells sampled on 9/26/2012. Findings-DHH recommends property owners routinely monitor for the presence of methane in the tested water wells.
* As of 06 November, Texas Brine has removed 123 roll off boxes hydrocarbon contaminated debris.
* As of 06 November, Texas Brine has removed approximately 1535 Barrels of hydrocarbons from the surface of the sinkhole.
* Pursant to the DNR press release dated 11/7/2012 regarding the pressure in some geoprobes, LDEQ will conduct indoor air monitoring as requested at residential homes in the Bayou Corne community.

**************

New flyover pictures were also posted on Nov 8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/assumptionoep/

As well as a brief flyover video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJon8e-fEtg&feature=plcp

A screen cap for those who can't see the video

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012

Thanks for the update on this, mixin. It sounds like the discovery of even more shallow gas is a potential setback as far as lifting the evacuation order. There was some hopeful news a couple of days ago on the parish blog about Texas Brine tapping into gas with one of their wells and setting up a flaring process:
http://assumptionla.wordpress.com/20...m-gas-venting/

They were flaring 39,000 cubic feet per day at the time and planned to go nonstop. But I think I read in one of the articles about the recent tremor and sloughing that the bubbling from the sinkhole itself stopped after those events. If that is true, then a venting pathway was lost at that point. I was wondering if that would cause more gas pressure elsewhere.

ETA:
I found the source about the bubbling stopping in the sinkhole. Just some large bubbles in the center stopped, but smaller bubbles around the perimeter continued:
http://theadvocate.com/home/4309557-...-from-sinkhole

The Advocate article also reports that the sinkhole was larger in volume after the latest collapse, even though it's shallower. See text for dimensions and details about how Texas Brine got gas to flow for venting.

[mixin]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012 - sharp tremor strikes near sinkhole

NEWS RELEASE

https://www.dnr.louisiana.gov

Office of Conservation Calls for Cooperative Effort in Methane Testing of Bayou Corne Structures

Conservation-ordered shallow well monitoring network detects natural gas pressure near community at 20-to-40-foot depth

BATON ROUGE ? Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation James Welsh today announced that the Office of Conservation will be coordinating with the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in seeking permission from property owners to do additional monitoring of Bayou Corne community homes to test for the accumulation of methane believed to be connected to the failure of Texas Brine?s cavern.

Although previous in-structure testing done by DEQ experts on the ground showed there were no natural gas accumulations in the structures tested, further testing will be conducted out of an abundance of caution to ensure public safety.

Welsh said the action is being taken in response to analysis and review of data provided by the network of 18 shallow monitoring wells the Office of Conservation instructed its contracted agent, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, to install in and around the community. These wells are part of the ongoing overall Office of Conservation response to formation of the nearby sinkhole and ongoing presence of natural gas underground and bubbling to the surface connected to the failure of Texas Brine?s abandoned brine cavern on the western side of the Napoleonville Salt Dome.

That monitoring-well network has detected underground natural gas at low pressure in an area shallower than the primary aquifer, which indicates a need for additional tests to look for potential presence of natural gas in structures built directly on the ground surface. For homes and structures built on supports that make space between the base of the building and the ground surface, natural air flow prevents interior accumulation of natural gas.

?We are asking for property owner cooperation in getting permission to perform systematic testing of as many of the structures built directly on the ground as possible to supplement previous testing indicating that natural gas had not made its way into homes,? Welsh said. ?While analysis of the data we have available indicates that the risk of natural gas accumulation in homes is low, we want to have additional testing out of an abundance of caution. We will take no chances when it comes to public safety.?

Welsh said that while the Office of Conservation will continue to take immediate actions as needed to protect public safety, the Office will also continue to hold Texas Brine LLC accountable to meet the requirements of his previously issued orders to develop monitoring systems, install vent wells and take other actions to remediate the effects of the company?s failed brine cavern and assess and abate threats to public safety and the environment.

Welsh said that the Office of Conservation and DEQ had already acted to assess conditions in and below the community to determine what future actions were warranted, with Conservation?s having instructed Shaw E&I to install the initial monitoring-well network and having ordered Texas Brine to continue to install more; and with DEQ having offered in-home testing to Bayou Corne residents who requested it, in addition to the agency?s ongoing air and water testing in the area.

?Previous in-structure testing done by DEQ experts showed there were no natural gas accumulations in the structures they were allowed to test,? Welsh said. ?That is encouraging, but we believe that a systematic sweep of as many structures as possible would provide greater certainty of safety.?

Determining whether natural gas is present in structures built directly on ground surface is one step in the process of assessing the potential impact to the community and achieving a return to normalcy for the community. The next step will be based on what is found through the in-structure sweep and ongoing monitoring and analysis of existing and future shallow monitoring-wells.

?We have not slowed in our efforts to fully understand the mechanics of the original failure and ongoing movement of natural gas in order to better direct the actions that give us the best opportunities to resolve the problems safely and as quickly as possible,? Welsh said. ?We will continue to make use of the best science and respond based on evaluation of that data, and require the responsible party to take all appropriate actions to rectify the situation.?

http://dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&aid=987

[Emily]

Re: Louisiana: Assumption Parish Bayou Corne Sinkhole 2012 - sharp tremor strikes near sinkhole

Here's an update on the status of recreational activities in the area from Mr. Landry.
http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=4426

The Sinkhole
By Jerald Horst
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November 01 at 7:00 am
[snip]
Dennis Landry, owner of the only boat launch in the area (the Sportsman?s Landing of Bayou Corne) and Cajun Cabins lodging, puts things in perspective for sportsmen.
"I think that a lot of fishermen are still uncomfortable because of the bad publicity and press," Landry said. "But everything is still open. The bayous are open to the public, and patrolled regularly by the Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Planning and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

"The boat ramp is still open, although parking is a little limited because of all the response vehicles. But, if you want to fish, I will find a place for you to park. Some cabin rentals are still available, too.

"No brine from the site, which is about a half-mile from Bayou Corne, has reached the bayou...

More details at the link and there's a phone contact for Mr. Landry in the article.